Sentiero della Pace - Tappa 2
The place
The Sentiero della Pace (Trail 4) follows the front line of the First World War along the north-eastern Italian Alps, from Trieste to Passo del Tonale, over roughly 500 km in 25–30 stages. The route crosses the Trieste Karst, the Julian Alps (Alpe Adria), the Brenta Dolomites and the Presanella, following the trenches, barbed-wire lines and war cemeteries of the Italian Front of 1915–1918. One of Europe's trekking routes most steeped in history and memory.
Why go
Redipuglia War Memorial (100,000 fallen). Trenches of the Trieste Karst. Adamello-Brenta Nature Park. Cima Ortles and Stelvio. Passo Tonale with its Great War museum. Galleries and walkways carved into bare rock.
A bit of history
The Sentiero della Pace was inaugurated in 1982 by the Società Alpinisti Tridentini (SAT) to commemorate the soldiers who fell on the Italian Front. The front line stretched for over 600 km from the mouth of the Isonzo to Lake Garda. The battles of the Isonzo (12 in 2 years), the Karst and Pasubio saw enormous losses. The trail crosses these places of memory through nature reclaimed.
Getting there
Trieste: airport and train station (2h from Venice). Passo del Tonale: bus from Trento (2h30) or Brescia (2h30).
Recommended gear
Hiking boots. Alpine equipment for the Dolomite stages. Tabacco 1:25,000 map.
Best season
June–October. Dolomite sections free of snow from July.